The Phantom's Gambit - Chapter 69: The devil himself

Japan – National News BroadcastThe polished news anchor sat upright, her gaze sharp as she adjusted the stack of papers before her. The newsroom behind her hummed with quiet urgency, the weight of the moment settling over the broadcast.“Authorities are baffled by a sudden and unexplained surge in sleep-related deaths across Japan,” she began, her voice steady yet tense. “More and more citizens are passing away in their sleep without any prior health concerns. Experts are working tirelessly to determine the cause, but no clear explanation has emerged. Authorities urge the public to remain vigilant and report any unusual symptoms before bedtime.”A graphic appeared, displaying the spike in fatalities over the past month. Behind her, unsettling photographs flickered across the screen—blurred images of individuals found in their beds, their faces frozen in expressions of terror.The anchor’s tone shifted. “Health officials recommend citizens avoid excessive fatigue and maintain healthy sleep habits. More updates will follow as investigations continue.”---United States – Paranormal PodcastIn a dimly lit podcast studio, the host leaned forward, his eyes wide with curiosity. Across from him, a rugged man in a worn flannel shirt, gripping a faded photograph in one hand and a beer can in the other, leaned back in his chair.“So, you're telling me you saw this creature firsthand?” the host asked, clearly intrigued.The man scoffed, shaking his head. “Damn right, I did. Ugly thing had wings bigger than my body—slow but sneaky. Thought it could steal my pigs again, but I was ready this time—camera in one hand, shotgun in the other.”He slammed the table for emphasis, then shoved the blurry image toward the host. The photograph depicted a small, red-skinned humanoid figure with large, bat-like wings, its eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.“Spit, the thing didn’t know what hit it when I fired!” the man chuckled, his voice full of excitement.The host held up the picture to the live chat. “Alright, what do you think? Mothman? Demon? Or is our friend here just seeing things?”The chat exploded with theories—some skeptical, others eager for the investigation to continue.---China – Liangyuan Street MarketSurveillance footage from a bustling night market in China captured a chilling scene. A woman in a red qipao walked gracefully through the crowd, her figure striking in the soft glow of lanterns.Suddenly, she paused. Her body flickered—like a glitch in a video—before vanishing completely, as though she had never existed.The footage zoomed in, replaying in slow motion. In the final frame before she disappeared, her face distorted unnaturally, her eyes hollow and empty.The screen cut abruptly to black.

Lu Yang, the boss of the last days, has returned.

She discovered that she was a cannon fodder passerby for an entertainment article, and her brother Lu Mingyu was the male n number who loved the heroine.

After my brother participated in the wilderness survival variety show, he couldn’t eat enough and couldn’t sleep well. He worried about food every day, and he became notorious.

It didn’t take long for the Lu family to disappear.

In order to get rid of his fate, Lu Yang decided to appear on variety shows with his brother.

Before the show was recorded-

Lu Mingyu: “My sister has been weak and sickly since she was a child, and she is too weak to take care of herself. Please bear with me.”

On the first day of survival, Lu Yang held a dart in his hand, and heard a crisp sound, the dart flew through the camera, and the lens shattered.

Netizen: Director! Play it back!

On the second day of Survival, Lu Yang reacted quickly and made quick, precise and ruthless shots, pinching the snake’s head and tail without even blinking.

The netizen’s titanium alloy dog’s eyes widened: Is this called being weak and unable to take care of oneself?

On the Nth day of the recording of the variety show, everyone discovered that exploring the terrain, going to the sea to fish and harvest prey… Lu Yang is proficient in everything, with perfect survival skills!

**

A paparazzi photographed Lu Yang and a strange man behaving intimately, kissing in the car, and the car was revealed to belong to Jiang Yanzhou, the number one beauty in domestic entertainment.

The whole network hurriedly called: Lu Mingyu, come back quickly! Your friend has become your brother-in-law!

Lu Mingyu who was sent to a closed-door training camp by a scheming man:? ! !

- Description from novelbuddy

Villain System: Let the Young and Naïve Duchess of the Cang Court Principality, Sylvia, Experience the Betrayal of Her Loved Ones, and Achieve Transformation and RebirthTransmigrating into a Western fantasy world centered around beast taming, Xia Ya stared at the beginner mission in front of him, lost in thought.Sylvia—the legendary “Silver Witch of Cang” recorded in history—had already ascended to legend status five hundred years ago. After establishing the White Chalk Tower, she vanished without a trace, never to be seen again. And as for the Cang Court Principality? It had long since been destroyed. How was he supposed to complete this f***ing mission?This system was five hundred years late!Yet, the mission reward was simply too tempting. After much deliberation, Xia Ya made a decision that would make his ancestors roll in their graves—[To Deceive History Itself]The capital was gone? Fine. Then I’ll just write my name into the duke’s family records and become the older brother of the duchess. No objections, right?Modify relics and ancient texts? Sure. Let’s say I was manipulated by cultists, falsely accused Sylvia of an imaginary crime, and personally exiled her. Then, later, I came to my senses and perished alongside the mastermind behind it all. That sounds reasonable, right?[The One Forgotten by Time][The Heartless Tyrant][The King Who Turned His Back on the World]One hidden truth after another began to resurface.[The Silver Witch’s Diary]Waking from my self-imposed slumber, my memories are in tatters—except for one, still deeply etched into my soul: the pain of betrayal.Recent archaeological discoveries have revealed the truth…It turns out that the principality had already been corrupted by a cult. Not long after my exile, an evil god descended upon the royal capital, annihilating all life.So… my brother did all of that… to save me?

He stomped his feet and the land collapsed, looked above and the sky shattered, reached out and captured the stars in his hands.

He possessed the body of the bullied and ostracized Esdras Varthos, who had the lowest talent among his peers and was sold to the mages tower by his sly relatives to steal his title and lands.

Esdras used his powers to divine the fate of the world, and saw a terrifying scene, the apocalypse was about to start.

This world was going to be destroyed in an epic battle between gods, demons and titans.

As an ant he was fated to be a squashed under their feet.

There were a total of eight shards scattered and hidden in the universe, his only hope was to collect them all and ascend to divinity himself before the apocalypse. He was not willing to be an ant for long.

He already had one shard of a divine spark!

[You have gained 10 EXP]!

He will travel to many different kinds of worlds in the universe seeking the divine shards.